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Hall, Smoot: Getting Paid Is a Capitol Idea

Dan Steinberg went up to Capitol Hill and, after offering up some helpful hints on fixing that whole economy thing, he sauntered out into a driving rain to catch up with Fred Smoot and DeAngelo Hall and a bunch of Ravens. Among other things, Smoot and Hall talked about big salaries, the secondary, and why Hall was miserable in Oakland (a lot of it had to do with something called money).

"I had a lot of college buddies up in this way, and it was just I felt loved and embraced," Hall continued. "With anything, if somebody loves you, you're gonna love them back. So I felt love. When I went to Oakland, man, I had a lot of guys on the team that was like, 'Man, I should have got paid, why'd they pay him, da da da da da.'"

FYI to all those who want to look at JCuts stats vs JC's look closer at the games he played against above average teams, he puts up great stats vs the Cleveland and Oakland and KC of the world, but look at his numbers vs the NFC South,(a good division to compare to the NFC East): 21/34-264-2T-1I vs NO, 23/34-227-1T vs TB, 19/27-216-1T vs ATL, and 21/33-172-1T-1I vs CAR.

"
Smoot was, at times, the odd-man out last year, when four corners were vying for playing time. Shawn Springs, of course, is now gone, but I asked Smoot where he saw himself fitting in.

"With Jerry [Gray], we're good, we're good," Smoot said. "I knew he couldn't play four of us. Now, he made a way to play three of us, and I know he'll STILL make a way to play three of us. But four, it just was too many of us. And it got out of his hands, actually. It was a big problem, it was a big rift to have, but we didn't let it affect nothing. We never brought nothing up, we just let it play itself out. Everything's good. We ain't got that type of guys."

I also asked Hall about his secondary mates.

"One of my biggest reasons for coming back was to be around these guys," he said. "I made the comment that I wanted to make sure that they WERE gonna be here, Fred AND Carlos. I said that to everybody that I talked to. I'm not just worried about trying to get paid, I'm trying to win some games."

The second we got Hall, we finally had someone who could get the ball and cause turnovers. I'm not sure what type of pass rush or safeties Oakland has, but our rush should be vastly improved with Albert and our safeties provide solid deep support. I think he'll be a great fit and I hope we can resign Rogers at some point to keep two young pro-bowl caliber DBs, despite the fact that Rogers was born with hooks and not hands.

"
Hall did a post-fitness interview with the NFL Network from the shadow of the Capitol, in which he said his heart had never really been in it in Oakland. After he was done with the NFL Network, I asked him why that was.

"Because man, I just felt like in Oakland, there was a lot of people that hated anybody who got paid," he said. "A lot of guys resented me from the moment I walked in there. From the moment I walked in here, it was kind of a whole different vibe. It was like, come help us," he said, reaching out his arms in an embrace, which was filled by a Redskins staffer. "We love D-Hall," she said.

"I had a lot of college buddies up in this way, and it was just I felt loved and embraced," Hall continued. "With anything, if somebody loves you, you're gonna love them back. So I felt love. When I went to Oakland, man, I had a lot of guys on the team that was like, 'Man, I should have got paid, why'd they pay him, da da da da da.'

"And [Al Davis] paid a lot of guys. I mean, they were resentful toward not just me, towards everybody they paid: Tommy Kelly, myself, Gibril [Wilson], Javon [Walker]. Everybody was kind of looking at us different, so we all kind of hung together. That ain't the way it's supposed to be, but that's how it was out there. I never felt like a part of the team. And it showed on the field, that's why we got our [bleeps] whooped all the time."

So I brought up the Albert Haynesworth signing and wondered whether his (theoretically) nine-figure deal could cause the same sort of issues in Ashburn.

"Hell no," Hall said. "Not at all. Not at all. Like I made the comment, Albert Haynesworth is the best player in the NFL, hands-down. So you think anybody [complains] when Tom Brady or Peyton Manning got paid? Because they know what they can do. We know what he can do. It would have been different if they tried to go out and get Joe Blow and pay him a hundred million. C'mon, then we've got a problem. But a guy like Albert? Not a problem."

Smoot was chatting up the Capitol Police, but I interrupted to get his take on this issue. Would players resent Haynesworth and his salary?

"Nah," Smoot said. "Because, well, we have a group that, actually, a lot of us done got paid. Plus it's never really been like that in the Washington Redskins organization. We ain't really egotistical like that. We just all chill."

"It comes with it," he continued. "I'm sure he'll hear his group of money jokes. He asked me how much it was for him to buy a dock at National Harbor. I said, 'Don't worry, you don't need to ask, just go up there and park it, man. They'll take care of that.' "

Coach K's thoughts on Obama and his brackets: "Somebody said that we're not in President Obama's Final Four, and as much as I respect what he's doing, really, the economy is something that he should focus on, probably more than the brackets."

What's funny is that I actually agree with the ol' rat-faced twit. (I DO NOT like Duke, and no, I'm not a UNC fan like that) I was sort of disappointed to see Obama making picks for the NCAA tournament when the economy is the way it is (with all the other problems also)... he gave his critics nothing but ammunition when ESPN had him in front of a big white board making picks...

He's got to be smarter than that - I want him to succeed, but I believe he's been set-up to fail.

Also I noticed when Vinnie made the statement the other day..."Campbell will be our QB" He left out the term "starter" or "backup"...he also said last season they were not talking to the Dolphins about Taylor or talked to big Bill at 2 pm then at 5pm he was a Skin

Coach K's thoughts on Obama and his brackets: "Somebody said that we're not in President Obama's Final Four, and as much as I respect what he's doing, really, the economy is something that he should focus on, probably more than the brackets."

You know I used to like Duke and respect coach K but the more I hear from him the more I think he's a self aggrandizing, smug little twit. Maybe he should worry more about Duke's lack of a scoring big man than giving his unwanted political commentary.

On the one hand I think it is good for the Pres. to be able to show an interest in diverse activities but on the other his detractors will only hype this as a lack of focus on what's important. After watching the Duke/UNC show on HBO, I can so see Coach K wanting to tell him to F off with his final four picks!!

Sorry Leevi, but that's not new. We talked about this earlier in the day.

Click on the Inquirer's actual article and you'll see that they are just carrying the Inet rumor to print. He has no sources.....

Posted by: 4thFloor | March 19, 2009 3:18 PM | Report abuse

I hear ya 4th just posting cause I saw it....

that's the issue with this new blog format...you used to be able to see who answered you with email notice and also you could read what was already talked about on the threads...Now you don't know....Who has the time to go back and look at all the threads and see what was being said this morning LOL

You know I used to like Duke and respect coach K but the more I hear from him the more I think he's a self aggrandizing, smug little twit. Maybe he should worry more about Duke's lack of a scoring big man than giving his unwanted political commentary.

Posted by: buke | March 19, 2009 3:24 PM | Report abuse

and maybe if President Opromise was paying more attention to the economy instead of his brackets and the Tonight show AIG wouldn't be getting rich of our money....well nevermind most of the people actually pay taxes didn't vote for him anyway so what does he care....

There's no possible spin that makes me believe that Snyder knew what he was doing.

Posted by: brownwood26 | March 19, 2009 10:52 AM

Brownwood,

You're about as open-minded as those 8 year olds who stick their fingers in their ears and say "I'm not listening." It's not about "spin." It's about your inability to deal with reality.

After the Spanuolo hire fell through, the smart money was on Mariucci and Fassel. Those were the "inside the box" hires. No one on God's green earth had mentioned Zorn. He was so far outside the box that he was off the planet.

So, now your story is that it's not an outside-the-box story because "Snyder didn't know what he was doing"?

If it makes you feel good to deny that the 'Skins would make an outside-the-box coaching decision, then keep finding new pretexts for denial. But, as ChRiS LarRy would say, "Don't let the facts hit you in the azz as you're walking through the door."

On the Shanahan-Cutler thing, I must admit, I don't understand why a coach falls in love with his QB like that.

But now Pioli in KC and McDaniels in Denver, both ex-Pats, seem to have total man crushes for Matt Cassel.

McDaniels is looking especially foolish, like the guy who lost out on the woman he loved ... to his former best friend. After all, McDaniels broke up with Jay Cutler before their first date, just to pursue a QB he'll have to pay dearly for.

he gave his critics nothing but ammunition when ESPN had him in front of a big white board making picks...

He's got to be smarter than that - I want him to succeed, but I believe he's been set-up to fail.

Posted by: RedDMV | March 19, 2009 3:08 PM | Report abuse

Red, his "critics" are the folks who supported (twice)the guy Obama replaced and the one he ran against. Nothing will make them happy. (Except apparently two failed wars, a joke of domestic agenda, a ruined planet, global economic catastrophe, and am I forgetting anything? Oh, right, more tax cuts for the very rich.) So F 'em.